METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DISTRIBUTING MEDIA
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority under 35 U.S. C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/996,711, filed on December 3, 2007, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates generally to systems, devices, and associated method for distributing multimedia content to an enduser.
BACKGROUND
Television access is prevalent worldwide. Users of television services use such services for the availability of news, entertainment purposes, educational purposes, and the like. Additionally, the Internet and other network sources are increasingly being used for the publication and consumption of video and other multimedia content. Such multimedia includes content of interest to the general population. However, the number of users with access to the Internet and other network sources is a small subset of the users of television services. As such, a large number of television users are unable to access or cannot easily access the multimedia information available via the network sources including the Internet.
Additionally, the peer-to-peer distribution of multimedia data over networked sources such as the Internet is generally restricted to use of computer-to-computer distribution. That is, users of television services are limited in their ability to disseminate multimedia content using only the television. Additionally, the users of the television services are often restricted to viewing a predefined list of multimedia content, which may or may not be available "on demand."
SUMMARY
According to one aspect, a method for displaying multimedia content on a television of a first user may include displaying a homepage to the first user on the television, displaying an icon indicative of a video on the homepage, the video being determined based on the identification data related to the first user, receiving a selection of the icon from the first user, retrieving the video associated with the icon from a remote source, and/or displaying the video to the first user on the television. The homepage may be based on identification data related to the first user, The identification data may include login information provided by the first user and/or data identifying preferences of the first user. The video may be embodied as a video recommended by a second user previously identified as a friend of the first user. The method may further include displaying an icon indicative of an internet website on the homepage. Additionally, the method may include receiving a selection of the icon indicative of the internet website from the user, retrieving data from the internet website in response to the selection of the icon indicative of the internet website, and displaying the data from the internet website to the user on the television. Additionally, the method may include transmitting the video to a second user based on a selection received from the first user. The second user may have been previously identified as a friend of the first user.
The method may also displaying a plurality of video icons on the homepage, each video icon being indicative of a video previously view by the first user. Additionally, the method may include receiving a message from a second user and displaying an icon indicative of the message on the homepage. The method may also include displaying the message on the television to the first user based on a selection of the icon indicative of the message received from the first user.
According to another aspect, a set-top-box coupled to a television may include a processor and a memory device. The memory device may have stored therein a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor cause the processor to display a prompt for login information to a first user on the television, receive login information provided by the first user, and/or display a homepage to the first user on the television, the homepage being based on the login information, plurality of instructions may further cause the processor to display an icon indicative of a video on the homepage, the video being determined based on the login information provided by the first user, receive a selection of the icon from the first user, retrieve the video associated with the icon from a remote source, and display the video to the first user on the television. The video is a video recommended by a second user previously identified as a friend of the first user.
The plurality of instructions may also cause the processor to display an icon indicative of an internet website on the homepage. Additionally, the plurality of instructions may cause the processor to receive a selection of the icon indicative of the internet website from the user, retrieve data from the internet website in response to the selection of the icon indicative of the internet website, and display the data from the internet website to the user on the television. The plurality of instructions may further cause the processor to transmit the video to a second user based on a selection received from the first user. Additionally, the plurality of instructions may cause the processor to receive a message from a second user and display an icon indicative of the message on the homepage. Further, the plurality of instructions may cause the processor to display the message on the television to the first user based on a selection of the icon indicative of the message received from the first user.
According to yet a further aspect, a method for displaying multimedia content on a television of a first user may include displaying a homepage to the first user on the television. The homepage may be based on identification data related to the first user. The method may also include receiving a message from a second user, displaying an icon indicative of the message on the homepage, and displaying the message on the television to the first user based on a selection of the icon indicative of the message received from the first user.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The detailed description particularly refers to the following figures, in which: FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of one embodiment of a system for distributing multimedia content;
FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of one embodiment of a multi-system operator (mso) headend of the system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of one embodiment of a multimedia server of the system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a simplified flow-chart of one embodiment of a method for delivering multimedia content that may be executed by a multimedia server of the system of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 5 is a simplified flow-chart of one embodiment of a method for routing multimedia content that may be executed by the multimedia servers of the system of FIG. 1; FIG. 6 is a simplified flow-chart of one embodiment of a method for retrieving, viewing, and managing multimedia on an end-user display device;
FIGS. 7-9 are illustrative screenshots displayed to the end-user on the display device during execution of the method of FIG. 6;
FIG. 10 is a simplified flow-chart of one embodiment of a method for viewing, managing, and distributing multimedia that may be executed on an end-user computer;
FIGS. 11-18 are illustrative screenshots displayed to the end-user on the computer during execution of the method of FIG. 10;
FIG. 19 is a simplified flow-chart of one embodiment of a method for managing multimedia content; and FIGS. 20-25 are illustrative screenshots displayed to a user on a computer during execution of the method of FIG. 19;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS While the concepts of the present disclosure are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific exemplary embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit the concepts of the present disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Referring to FIG. 1, a system 100 for distributing multimedia data includes a plurality of multi-system operators 102 and a master multimedia server 104 interconnected via a network 106. The system may also include a plurality of third party entities or businesses 108, which are also interconnected via the network 106. The network 106 may be embodied as any number and type of networks including, for example, wide area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANS), and/or publicly-accessible global networks such as, for example, the Internet. As such, any one or more underlying physical standards may be used to transmit and receive multimedia data over the network 106 including, but not limited to hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC), digital subscriber line (DSL), Ethernet, and/or passive optical networks (PON), and/or the like. To do so, the network 14 or portions thereof may be configured to transmit and/or receive the multimedia data using any suitable communication protocol including, but not limited to, internet protocol (IP), transmission control protocol (TCP), and/or internet protocol television (IPTV). In some embodiments, the system 100 may also include one or more third party business or other entity 108 for creating, transmitting, and/or receiving multimedia over the network 106. For example, such third party business may be embodied as media organizations, video production companies, advertisement companies, online video collection companies, telecommunication companies such as cellular telephone companies, and the like. Such third party businesses including one or more computers having a processor
110, a memory 112, and one or more databases 114. The processor 110 may be embodied as any type of processor capable of performing the functions described herein such as, for example, a single- or multi-core processor. Additionally, the third party business computer 108 may include any number of processors 110. The memory devices 112 may be embodied as dynamic random access memory devices (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory devices (SDRAM), double-data rate dynamic random access memory device (DDR SDRAM), and/or other volatile memory devices. The database 114 may form a part of the third party business computer 108 as illustrated in FIG. 1 or may separate therefrom in some embodiments. As such, the database 160 may be embodied as a physical storage devices such as a hard drive and/or as a collection of files and other data.
Each of the multi-system operators (MSO) 102 includes at least one multisystem operator media server 120, which is communicatively coupled to a plurality of headends 122 via a network 124. The network 124 may be separate from the network 106 or may form a portion of the network 106 in some embodiments. As such, the network 124 may be may be embodied as any number and type of networks including, for example, wide area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANS), and/or publicly-accessible global networks such as, for example, the Internet. As such, any one or more underlying physical standards may be used to transmit and receive multimedia data over the network 124 including, but not limited to hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC), digital subscriber line (DSL), Ethernet, and/or passive optical networks (PON), and/or the like. To do so, the network 14 or portions thereof may be configured to transmit and/or receive the multimedia data using any suitable communication protocol including, but not limited to, internet protocol (IP), transmission control protocol (TCP), and/or internet protocol television (IPTV). A plurality of end-users 130 may be communicatively coupled to each headend
122 of each multi-system operator 102 as illustrated in FIG. 1. Each end-user 130 (i.e., each end-user residence) may include one or more computer 132 communicatively coupled to a modem, such as a cable modem 134, and one or more televisions 136 communicatively coupled to a set-top-box 138. The set-top-box 138 may or may not include a digital video recorder (DVR). Additionally, the end-user 130 may include a digital video recorder separate from the set-top-box 138 in some embodiments. Additionally, in some embodiments, the end-user 130 may include one or more mobile devices for receiving, transmitting, and reviewing multimedia content such as a cell phone, portable computer, and or the like. The end-user 130 may also include a security system 142, which may be communicatively coupled to the headend 122 and configured to periodically transmit security images thereto as discussed in more detail below.
The system 100 provides the end-user with an amount of interaction with the multimedia content. For example, as discussed in more detail below, multimedia content may be shared between users and/or transferred between devices (e.g., desktop computers, mobile media devices, storage devices, and/or the like) under the user's control or with devices of other users. The content is shared by a peering relationship that may be created between two user devices, between one user device and a network device, or between multiple user and network devices. Users can request and receive content that may be free to use, or may have various payment options associated with it, including advertising based models as well as pay-per-use, subscription, or other models. Additionally, the end-users of the system 100 may share multimedia content that they themselves have generated. Further, the end-users, who may be subscribers to different services from different multi-system operators 102, may generate reviews and other multimedia content that can be shared, edited, and consumed by other end- users of the system 100. Because the system 100 facilitates the storage of the multimedia data, the end-users may view or otherwise consume the multimedia data at any time. That is, the multimedia data may be time-shifted.
The multimedia content available via the system 100 includes content that is provided by the multi-system operators 102 (e.g., cable television operators) as well as content obtained from other sources such as the Internet. For example, multimedia data that is available at an online web site such as one of the third party entities 108 can be stored and viewed at home on display devices owned by the end-user. Such multimedia data may be analyzed, prepared, improved, modified, with or without text being added - or it may be presented in the original form.
Referring now to FIG. 2, each headend 122 of each multi-system operator 102 includes a multimedia server 200, a cable modem termination system 202, a video-on-demand and/or multimedia database 204, a plurality of content receiver devices such as satellite antennas and other devices, and an emergency alert system 208. the cable modem termination system 202 facilitates network communication and delivery of multimedia content over coaxial cable, fiber optical cable, and/or hybrid fiber coaxial to the end-users 130. The database 204 may be configured to store movies, video, and other multimedia content/data for delivery to the end-users 130, other headends 122, and/or other multi-system operators 102 as discussed in more detail below. The emergency alert system 208 may include a number of computers and other devices and interconnections transmit text and/or video to the end-user 130 in the event of an emergency. In such an event, the emergency alert system 208 is configured to override the other devices of the headend 122 so as to distribute the emergency text and/or video to the end- user 130. However, when there is no emergency to respond to, the emergency alert system 208 is not in use.
Referring now to FIG. 3, each of the multimedia servers 104, 120, 200 are similar in design, but may differ in functionality based on it's location and function in the system 100. That is, each multimedia server 104, 120, 200 may be configured to acquire audio, video, and textual content, including the related advertising text data, provide peer-to- peer communications with other devices of the system 100, store multimedia data, maintain multimedia inventory and access databases, process multimedia to, for example, convert the format of the multimedia into a broadcast-able format, and/or interface with a video-on-demand and/or other play-out servers of a head-end station such as a cable television provider.
As such, the multimedia servers 104, 120, 200 are embodied as multi-functional devices configured to provide access to a variety of multimedia data to the end-users including, but not limited to, audio, video, games, text, or other multimedia.. For example, the system 100 is configured to deliver material available on the Internet, e.g. clips from YouTube or Guba web portals, to the consumer TV. Such material may include, for example, source video clips, which were originally intended for viewing in a small window on a PC screen Such video clips may be enhanced for display on the larger screen of a consumer television via use of various algorithms for scaling, filtering, interpolation, and the like by the multimedia servers 104, 120, 200 as discussed in more detail below.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, each multimedia server 104, 120, 200 may include a processor 300, memory 302, and a database 304. The processor 300 may be embodied as any type of processor capable of performing the functions described herein such as, for example, a single- or multi-core processor. Additionally, multimedia servers 104, 120, 200 may include any number of processors 300. The memory devices 302 may be embodied as dynamic random access memory devices (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory devices (SDRAM), double-data rate dynamic random access memory device (DDR SDRAM), and/or other volatile memory devices. The database 304 may form a part of the multimedia server 104, 120, 200 as illustrated in FIG. 3 or may separate therefrom in some embodiments. For example, the database 304 of the multimedia server 200 may form part of the video-on-demand database 204 of the associated multi-system operator headend 122. As such, the database 304 may be embodied as a physical storage devices such as a hard drive and/or as a collection of files and other data.
Each multimedia server 104, 120, 200 may also include one or more multimedia engines 306 for receiving, managing, and transmitting multimedia data. Such multimedia engines 306 may be embodied as physical devices and/or non-physical structures such as programming instructions and software code as well as data structures stored in, for example, the database 304. In the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 3, each multimedia server 104, 120, 200 may include a user management engine 308, an advertisement engine 310, a recommendation engine 312, and/or a content management engine 314.
The user management engine 308 is configured to manage the various user profiles and preferences. The user profile may include user identification data and user device data such as the display capabilities of the user's television 136, computer 132, and/or mobile device 140 as well as identification data for such devices such as a MAC address or similar. The user preferences may include viewing preferences such preferred video formats, as well as preference data collected over time such as movie genre preferences, product preferences, and/or the like. The advertisement engine 310 is configured to select and generate advertisements for display to the end-user. To do so, as discussed in more detail below, the advertisement engine 310 may be configured to track historical selections or actions of the user so as to prompt the user with advertisements of interest to that particular user. Such advertisements may be displayed to the user in predetermined screen-space on the user's viewing device (e.g., the television 136) or may be incorporated in multimedia content selected by the user. Additional or new advertisements may be supplied to the multimedia servers 104, 120, 200 over time by outside sources such as the third party entities 108. As such, in one particular embodiment, the multimedia content is provided for consumption by the end-users 130 without protection from copying or reformatting. However, any advertisements associated with the multimedia content must travel with the multimedia content and protections are added to the multimedia content to increase the difficulty of removing such advertisements therefrom. Further, such advertisements may be static once associated with the multimedia content or may be generated anew upon each viewing of the multimedia content.
Similarly, the recommendation engine 312 may also track or observe the behavior of each end-user 130 in an anonymous or non-anonymous manner to determine the preferences of the user and/or usage patterns of the user. Such information may include the genre of movies selected by the user, the type of videos watched by the user, the type of products purchased online by the user, and so forth. This information may be used to determine recommendations, such as video recommendations and/or product recommendations, for other end-users 130 that exhibit similar viewing and usage behavior patterns. Additionally, the recommendation engine 312 may be configured to search for additional content of the same format, genre, or otherwise similar to the current multimedia content being viewed or otherwise accessed by the end-user 130. Once such additional content is determined, the recommendation engine 312 may present a list of the additional content to the end-user 130. The content management engine 314 is usable by a content manger to review, edit, and manage the various multimedia content. For example, the management engine 314 may be used to add additional metadata to each video or other multimedia data, to improve the quality of the multimedia data, and provide tags for the searching of the multimedia data or content. Additionally, in some embodiments, the content management engine 314 may be configured to automatically analyze the multimedia content as it is received in the system 100 to determine and collect technical and non-technical metadata. The non-technical metadata may be pre-generated by the source of the multimedia content and associated therewith. The technical data may be used by the system 100 (e.g., by one of the multimedia servers 104, 120, 200) to correct quality or other issues with the multimedia content and/or perform other function in regard to such content.
The system 100 may be used to generate, distribute, and view multimedia content. In particular, an end-user 130 may operate the set-top-box 138 to view multimedia content on the television 136, which may have been generated on the end-user's computer 132, by another end-user 130, by one of the third party businesses 108, or by another source. To improve the delivery efficiency of the system 100, such multimedia content may be processed at the source of the content according to a predetermined format. For example, in one embodiment, the multimedia content is processed into multiple different formats and uploaded and stored by one of the multimedia servers 104, 120, 200 for delivery to an end-user. As such, the multimedia content is stored in a variety of different formats such that the format best suited to the viewing device of the end-user 130 or for transmission to the end-user may be selected. Alternatively, the multimedia content may be processed at the source into a predetermined intermediate format (e.g., into an H.264 format) for reducing the total bandwidth used in transmitting the multimedia content. The multimedia content may then be reformatted into the preferred format at the receiving/viewing device (e.g., at the computer 132 of the enduser 130). In some embodiments, the multimedia content is stored in a distributed fashion across the network 100. For example, each multimedia server 104, 120, 200 may have stored therein different multimedia content. However, each end-user 130 may be presented with a list of multimedia content, as discussed in detail below, that includes content not stored on the local multimedia server 200. Once the end-user 130 selects such multimedia content, the content is retrieved from the stored locate and sent to the local multimedia server 200 for delivery to the end-user 130. Additionally, in some embodiments, the system 100 may include a video- indexing and retrieval system configured to search the Internet and other sources for all RSS feeds, sorted by metadata and organized in a form viewable by the enduser 130. When such content is selected for viewing by the end-user 130, the system 100 retrieves the RSS feed content from the source and presents it to the user in a manner similar to the video distribution discussed above.
As discussed above, each multimedia server 200 of a headend 122 controls the delivery of multimedia content to an associated end-user 130. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, each multimedia server 200 may execute a method 400 for distributing multimedia content to an enduser 130. The method 400 begins with block 402 in which the server 200 determines whether an end-user 130 has requested a particular piece of content. If so, a format for the content is determined in block 404. The format may be determined based on the user preferences as determined by the user management engine 308 described above and/or on the particular viewing device used by the enduser 130. For example, if the enduser 130 requests multimedia content via the television 136, the multimedia server 200 determines which format the content should use based on the type of television 136 (and any user preferences). Alternatively, the enduser 130 may request the multimedia content via the mobile device 140. If so, the multimedia server 200 determines the format for the multimedia content based on the type of mobile device 140. The type and display option of the enduser' s television 136 and mobile device 140, as well as computer 132, is stored in the multimedia server 200 via the user management engine 308. As discussed above, the enduser 130 may include any number of viewing devices such as televisions 136 and mobile devices 140. In such embodiments each particular viewing device is identified by an associated identifier such as a Media Access Control (MAC) address or other identifier. Such identifier may also reference the particular enduser 130 such as the enduser's name or other identification such as social security number or the like as discussed below in regard to block 412.
Additionally, as mentioned above, the multimedia format may also be based on the user preferences. For example, the user preferences may dictate that requested videos are displayed at a particular resolution and/or in a particular location of the viewing screed. Additionally, the user preferences may dictate where associated advertisements are displayed. For example, the user preferences may dictate that associated advertisements are displayed in a banner format at the top of the requested video. Similar to the viewing devices technical specifications discussed above, the user preferences may be stored in the multimedia server 100 via the user management engine 308.
Additionally, in some embodiments, the multimedia server 200 may select the format that has the lowest bit rate and still satisfies the user preferences and technical specifications of the viewing device. For example, if the television 136 is determined to support both H.264 and MPEG-2 formats, the multimedia server 200 may format the requested content in H.264 format at a higher quality, or the same quality, and transmit the content at a lower bit rate under a MPEG-2 transport format. The television 136 (or the set-top-box 138) may be configured to decipher the MPEG-2 transport stream and display the multimedia content to the user in the H.264 format. Further, in some embodiments, the multimedia server 200 may split the requested video into multiple parts, each of which may be prepared according to a different format. For example, if the requested video is smaller than full screen for the particular viewing device (e.g., the television 136), any static part of the video may be separated out from the video and sent as a picture on which the video is subsequently displayed. In block 406, the multimedia server 200 determines the delivery format of the multimedia content. The delivery format defines how the multimedia is to be delivered to the enduser 130 based on the interconnection between the headunit 122 and the associated enduser 130, the particular viewing device and its technical specifications, and/or any preferences predefined by the enduser 130. For example, in embodiments wherein the multi-system operator 102 is a cable TV company and the interconnection between the enduser 130 and the associated headunit 122 is, at least in part, embodied as a cable interconnection, the server 200 may deliver the requested multimedia data via an in-band channel or an out-of-band channel. For example, the multimedia content may be delivered via an in-band analog channel, an in- band digital channel via a quadrature amplitude modulation transport protocol, or via an out-of- band channel using the Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) as a transport mechanism. The multimedia server 200 may be configured to select the delivery format based on, for example, the available bandwidth at the time at which the content is requested. For example, the multimedia server 200 may be configured to monitor the bandwidth available to the requesting enduser over each of the above-identified channels and select the channel or transport mechanism having the greatest available bandwidth so as to improve the overall delivery of the requested multimedia content.
In block 408, the multimedia server 200 determines which, if any, advertisements should be included with the requested multimedia content and how such advertisements should be presented. To do so, the advertisement engine 310 of the multimedia server 200 may select such advertisements based on one or more criteria such as, for example, the profile data and/or preferences of the enduser 130, the historical viewing and/or purchasing behavior of the enduser 130, the historical viewing or purchasing behavior of other users having attributes similar to the enduser 130, and/or the particular type, genre, or other aspect of the requested multimedia data. For example, if the requested multimedia content relates to home improvement (as defined by metadata associated with the requested multimedia content), home improvement type advertisements may be selected. However, the advertisement engine 310 may be configured to space-out such advertisements such that the end-user is not overwhelmed with advertisements directed only to home improvement. For example, the advertisement engine 310 may be configured to intersperse one or more advertisements unrelated to the content of the requested multimedia content between related advertisements so as not to "numb" the viewer to such related advertisements by overexposure. Such unrelated advertisements may be randomly determined in some embodiments or may be selected based on criteria other than the content of the requested multimedia content. The advertisement engine 310 of the multimedia server 200 may also be configured to determine technical aspects of the advertisements such as, for example, where the advertisement is place in relation to the requested multimedia content. Such determinations may be made based on the user preferences, the technical specifications of the viewing device, and/or the technical specifications of the requested multimedia content. Additionally, the advertisement engine 310 controls the timing of such advertisements. For example, the duration and beginning time of each advertisement may be determined.
In the block 408, the multimedia server 200 determines the type and presentation of additional content, if any, that is to be displayed to the enduser 130 before, during, or subsequent to the viewing of the requested multimedia content. Such additional content may include, but is not limited to, trivia or other useful information. Such trivia and other information may be determined based on the content of the requested multimedia data. Additionally, other information such as event information related to the requested content may be determined and displayed to the enduser 130. Further, such additional content may be displayed to the enduser 130 in a predefined location on the screen of the viewing device and configured to be displayed in a separate viewing application such as a Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) player.
After the content format, delivery format, advertisements, and additional content have been determined, the multimedia data requested by the end-user 130 is delivered in block 412. To do so, the multimedia server 200 may determine the particular device to transmit the requested multimedia content to based on the identification data of the viewing device from which the request was generated as discussed above. That is, each viewing device of the enduser 130 includes unique identification data, which may be embodied as a MAC address or other data that identifies the particular viewing device. Such identification data may also include data that identifies the enduser 130 such as, for example, an account number, social security number, address data, or the like. Such identification data may be stored in the multimedia server 200 and/or determined based on analysis of the request itself, which may include the identification data as part of the request message delivered to the multimedia server 200. Referring now to FIG. 5, as discussed above, an enduser 130 may operate any one of the computer 132, television 136, or mobile device 140 to search, view, download, and/or upload multimedia content. The enduser 130 may operate such devices to send the multimedia content to another device of the same enduser 130 (e.g., from a DVR set-top-box 138 to the computer 132 or from the computer 132 to the television 136), to another enduser 130 coupled to the same headend 122, another enduser 130 coupled to a different headed 122 of the same multi-system operator 102, or even and enduser 130 serviced by a different multisystem operator 102. To do so, the various multimedia servers 104, 120, 200 of the system 100 may execute a method 500 for delivery the multimedia content. The method 500 begins with step 502 in which the local multimedia server 200 determines whether the requested destination is the same end-user 130. If so, multimedia server 200 simply retransmits the multimedia content to the selected viewing device of the end-user 130 in block 504. In this way, a virtual network may be established between, for example, the enduser's 130 computer 132 and television 136 or mobile device 140.
However, if the destination is not the same enduser 130, the local multimedia server 200 determines whether the destination is in the same headend 122 in block 506. If so, the multimedia server 200 transmits the multimedia data to the requested end-user in block 508. However, if the destination is not in the same headend 122, the multimedia server 200 determines whether the destination is in the another headend of the same multi-system operator 102 in block 510. If so, the multimedia server 200 transmits the multimedia data to the multimedia server 120 for delivery to the multimedia server 200 of the other headed 122 in block 512. However, if the destination is not in a headend 122 of the same multi-system operator 102, the multimedia server 200 (or multimedia server 120) determines whether the destination is in another multi-system operator 102 in block 514. If so, the multimedia server 200 (or multimedia server 120) transmits the multimedia content to the master multimedia server 104 in block 516 for delivery to the appropriate multi-system operator 102. The multimedia servers 120, 200 of the appropriate multi-system operator 102 may execute methods similar to method 500 to transmit the multimedia content to the proper destination.
In addition to delivery multimedia content, the system 100 may also be used to deliver messages such as e-mails or alerts to the enduser 130. For example, in one embodiment, the third party entity 108 may be embodied as a retailer that desires to provide offers or alters of special deals to the enduser 130. If so, the third party entities 108 may transmit such messages to the particular enduser 130 via the network 106 and multimedia servers 104, 120, 200. Such alters or messages may be embodied as text messages, audio messages, or video messages with or without audio.
Further, in embodiments wherein the end-user 130 includes the security system 142, the system 142 may be configured to transmit security or surveillance images periodically or at predetermined times across the system 100. Such images or video may be viewed on the computer 132 or the television 136 of the enduser 130. Additionally, in some embodiments such images or video may be viewed by the enduser via a remote computer, such as a computer located at the enduser's place of business.
Referring now to FIGS. 6-9, a method 600 for retrieving, viewing, and managing multimedia on an end-user display device, such as the television 136 may be executed on the set-top-box 138 using, for example, the Open Cable Application Platform (OCAP). The method 600 beings with block 602 in which the enduser 130 may be requested to log in and block 604 in which a homepage is displayed to the enduser 130 on the television 136. By requiring the enduser 130 to log in, the homepage may be customized to the particular enduser 130. That is, the enduser 130 may create an "avatar" with particular preferences and history, which is subsequently used when displaying the homepage to the enduser 130. That is, the particular components that form the homepage may be dependent upon the preferences of the enduser 130. As such, a single residence may have any number of users, each which their own preference and homepage configuration. However, in other embodiments, the preferences and history may be tied to a particular set-top-box 138.
An illustrative homepage 700 that may be displayed to an enduser 130 is illustrated in FIG. 7. The homepage 700 includes a "my favorites" list 702 in which displays icons of multimedia content that has been personally tagged by the enduser 130 as a favoritevideo is listed. Such multimedia content may be feature length movies, video clips generated by other users or other multimedia data. The homepage 700 also includes a recommendations list 704, which displays icons of multimedia content that has been recommended by friends of the enduser 130, by the system 100, or other sources. Similar to the my favorites list 702, the recommendations list 704 may include full feature length movies, video clips generated by other users, and/or other multimedia data. The homepage 700 also includes a playlist 706, which lists various multimedia content, such as videos, that are configured to play on the enduser 130 television in a predefined order. In some embodiments, the homepage 700 may also include an internet site list, such as a blog list 708, which the enduser 130 may select to view the associated blog, website, or other source. The homepage 700 further includes a friends list 710, which displays icons or other indicia of friends of the enduser 130. The friends identified in the friends list 710 may include other endusers 130 of the same head in 122, of a different headend 122, or endusers 130 subscribed to a different multi-system operator 102. The homepage 700 may also include a video mail list 712, which displays mail icons indicative of mail or messages received by the enduser 130 via the television 136. Such mail or other messages may be embodied as text mail, videos, and/or audio. Referring back to FIG. 6, the enduser 130 may select a number of functions via the homepage 700. For example, in block 606 the enduser 130 may manage the homepage displayed to the enduser 130 on the television 136. For example, the enduser 130 may update user preferences that define how the homepage is displayed, as well as, information contained in the user profile. In block 608, the enduser 130 may perform a search of multimedia content, which may be stored in the local multimedia server 200 or stored in a distributed manner across the system 100. Once the enduser 130 has located multimedia content of interest, the enduser 130 may tag the multimedia content for viewing at a later time and/or may send the video contact to other endusers such as those users listed in the friends list 710. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, once the enduser 130 has located multimedia content of interest, a display page 800 may be presented to the enduser 130 on the television 136. The page 800 includes a video window 802 in which the selected multimedia content is displayed to the enduser 130 and a toolbar 804 illustratively displayed at the bottom of the screen 800. The toolbar 804 includes a number of buttons selectable by the enduser 130 to perform associated functions. For example, the toolbar 804 may include a "my videos" button 806, a "my avatar" button 808, a "my favorites "button 810, and/or "my friends" button 812.
Via selection of the "my videos button" 806, the enduser 130 may view videos that have been previously uploaded by the enduser 130. Such videos may have been uploaded via the television 136, the computer 132, and/or the mobile device 140 of the enduser 130. Via selection of the "my avatar" button 808, the enduser 130 may view preferences and the user profile associated with the enduser 130. As discussed previously, the enduser 130 may modify such preferences and profile data. Via selection of the "my favorites" button 810, the enduser 130 may tag the multimedia content as a favorite. If so, the multimedia content is subsequently listed in the my favorites list 702. The enduser may also transmit the selected multimedia content to a friend listed in the my friends list 710 as a recommended video via selection of the "my friends" button 812. For example, if the enduser 130 selects the my friends button 812, the enduser 130 may be presented with the page 900 as illustrated in FIG. 9. The page 900 includes a video window 902 in which the multimedia content is displayed to the enduser 130, a toolbar 904, and a list 906 which displays the friends of the enduser 130 to whom the multimedia content may be sent. To do so, the enduser 130 may select an option in a toolbar 904 to cause the multimedia data to be sent to one or more friends listed in the friends list 906. The friends list 906 may be similar to the friends list 710 or may include a subset of the friends identified in the friends list 710. Referring back to FIG. 6, the enduser may also perform online shopping in block
610. To do so, the enduser 130 may select an appropriate button via the homepage 700 to view virtual shopping stores and/or other sources of products. The enduser may view such products and select products for purchase via the television 136. The enduser may also review and manage video blogs in block 612. To do so, the enduser may select the appropriate blog or link via the blogs list 708 listed on the homepage 700. If so, the internet website associated with the blog is accessed and data from such site is presented to the enduser 130 via the television 136.
Referring back to FIG 6 again, the enduser 130 may also review and manage the friends list in block 612, review and manage messages in block 616, review and manage favorite content in block 618 and/or review and manage person content in 620. For example, in block 614, the enduser may select one of the friends listed in the friends list 710 to remove that enduser from the friends list 710, add an additional friend to the friends list 710, and/or send messages to the friend listed in the friends list 710. The user may also review and manage messages, such as the video mail listed in the video mail list 714, in block 616. The enduser may also review and manage favorite content in block 618. For example, the enduser 130 may remove and/or add multimedia content that the enduser 130 has deemed to be a favorite to the favorites list 702. In block 620, the enduser 130 may also review and manage personal content such as multimedia data that the enduser 130 has previously uploaded to the system 100. Referring now to FIGS. 10-18, a method 1000 for viewing, managing, and distributing multimedia content via the computer 132 of the enduser 130 begins with block 1002 in which the enduser 130 may be requested to log in and block 1004 in which a homepage is displayed to the enduser on the computer 132. The enduser 130 may perform a number of functions on the computer 132 via the homepage displayed in block 1004. For example, the enduser 130 may manage the enduser's 130 profile in block 1006, may manage the content presentation format in block 1008, may manage and access a friends list in block 1010, may search for new content in block 1012, may review shared content in block 1014, and/or may upload new multimedia content in block 1016.
An illustrative homepage 1100 is shown in FIG. 11. The homepage 1100 includes a login tab 1102 in which the enduser 130 may provide login information to login to the system. The homepage 1100 also includes a content display window 1104 in which multimedia content is displayed to the enduser 130. Previewed and/or recommended videos may be displayed to the enduser 130 in a video list 1106 positioned on the bottom of the homepage 1100. The enduser 130 may select one of a number of tool buttons listed on a toolbar 1108 displayed at the top of the homepage 1100 to perform one of a number of functions as described in more detail below. Additionally the enduser 130 may search for multimedia content via keywords or other identifying data via a search toolbar 1110. The enduser 130 may also quickly upload multimedia content from the computer 132 via selection of an upload button 1112 displayed on the homepage 1100.
The enduser 130 may review the friends list via selection of the appropriate button from the toolbar 1108. If so, a "my friends" page 1200 is displayed to the enduser 130 as illustrated in FIG. 12. The "my friends" page 1200 includes a list of friends of the enduser 130 and associated email addresses in a friends list 1202. Additionally, the enduser 130 may categorize his or her friends into groups via selection of a group toolbar 1204. The enduser 130 may also email individuals listed in the friends list 1202 or other individuals via use of an email bar 1206.
The enduser 130 may also view the friends groups via selection of a my groups tab 1208 display on the "my friends" page 1200. A my groups page 1300 is displayed to the enduser 130 as illustrated in FIG. 13. The "my groups" page 1300 includes a listing 1302 of the friends which belong to each group as selected from a group toolbar 1304. The enduser 130 may add additional groups via selection of a add group button 1306, may delete groups by selection of the delete button 1308, and may rename the groups via selection of a rename button 1310.
Referring back to FIG. 11 , the enduser may review previously uploaded multimedia content and/or shared multimedia content via selection of a "my videos" tab from the toolbar 1108. If so, a my videos screen 1400 is displayed to the enduser as illustrated in FIG. 14. The my videos page 1400 includes a "my uploaded" videos tab 1402 and a "my shared videos" tab 1404. The enduser 130 may view previously uploaded video and other multimedia content via selection of the "my videos" tab 1402 and view shared videos, which may include videos uploaded by the enduser 130 and videos sent to the enduser 130 from, for example, friends of the enduser 130, via selection of the "my shared videos" tab 1404. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 15, a shared videos page 1500 may be displayed to the enduser 130. The shared video page 1500 displays multimedia content received from friends of the enduser 130. The enduser 130 may review the multimedia content and reply to the friend if desired. As shown in FIG. 15, the multimedia content received from the friend or other source may include text messages which describe the multimedia content.
Referring back to FIG. 11, the enduser 130 may upload multimedia data from the computer 132 via selection of the upload button 1112 or the appropriate tab from the toolbar 1108. If so selected, the enduser 130 is presented with an upload page 1600 as illustrated in FIG. 16. The upload page 1600 includes a title bar 1602 wherein the enduser 130 can enter a title for the uploaded multimedia content. The upload page 1600 also includes a short description bar 1604 and a long description bar 1606 wherein the enduser 130 may provide description of the multimedia content. Additionally, the upload page 1600 includes a keywords bar 1608 and a genre bar 1610, which the enduser may use to provide keywords and select a genre of the multimedia content. The keywords may be subsequently be used to provide metadata for searching of the multimedia content. The enduser may then upload the multimedia content via selection of the upload button 1612. If the enduser 130 selects the upload button 1612, the enduser is presented with an uploading screen 1700, as shown in FIG. 17. The uploading screen 1700 displays the progress of the uploaded video to the enduser along with identification data of the uploaded multimedia content such as the title and/or brief description of the multimedia content which was previously entered by the enduser 130. The enduser may also review previously requested friends, contacts via a my sent request tab. If so, the enduser presented with a sent request page 1800 in which the status of each request in the email of the person requested to be a friend of the user 130 is displayed to the enduser 130. Referring now to FIG. 19, a method 1900 for managing multimedia content may be used by a content manager user of the system 100 to review multimedia content and the meta data associated therewith that has been uploaded to the system 100. The method 1900 begins with block 1902 wherein the user is prompted to login to the system. An illustrative login page 2000 is illustrated in FIG. 20. The login page 2000 includes a login window 2002 wherein the user may input identification data to log into the content manager program. Once the manager has logged into the program, a list of recently uploaded multimedia content, such as videos, is displayed to the content manager user in block 1904. One illustrative content list page 2100 is illustrated in FIG. 21. The content list page 2100 includes the title, genre, source, and date at which the multimedia content was uploaded to the system 100. The user may use a number of filtering options such as filtering based on priority, title, and keywords to consolidate and/or view other content lists.
The manager may subsequently select one of the listed multimedia content from the content list page 2100 to review. If so, the selected multimedia content is displayed to the manager user in block 1908. One illustrative content page 2200 is illustrated in FIG. 22. The content page 2200 includes a content window 2201 in which the multimedia content is displayed to the manager. The content page 2200 also includes a tool window 2202 having a number of tool tabs, which the manager user may select to manage the multimedia content. For example, the illustrative toolbar 2202 includes a set quality tab 2204, a choose template tab 2208, a describe content tab 2208, and an info tab 2210.
Referring back to FIG. 19, the manager user may set the quality of the multimedia content in block 1900 via selecting the set quality tab 2204. If so, a set quality window 2212 is displayed to the end user under the toolbar 2202 as illustrated in FIG. 22. The set quality window 2212 may be used to identify the quality of the video and audio along with other aspects. Additionally, comments regarding the video and audio may be entered in via the set quality window 2212.
Referring again back to FIG. 19, the manager user may also choose a template for the multimedia content. If so, as illustrated in FIG. 22, a content window 2300 is displayed to the manager user under the toolbar 2202. The desired template for the multimedia data may be selected via a template toolbar 2302. The template may define the size, positioning, and resolution of the multimedia content.
Referring back to FIG. 19, the manager user may also describe the multimedia content in block 1914. If so, a content description window 2400 is displayed to the end user under the toolbar 2202. As shown in FIG. 24, the content description window 2400 includes toolbars wherein the multimedia manager may add and/or update description of the multimedia content. For example, the manager may modify and/or add a title, a long description, a short description, search keywords, and information associated with the multimedia content. Additionally, the manager may select a genre within which the multimedia content belongs.
Referring again back to FIG. 19, the manager may also include additional information associated with multimedia content in block 1916. If so, an info window 2500 is displayed to the manager user under the toolbar 2202 as illustrated in FIG. 25. The info window 2500 includes additional information such as the frame width, frame height, video codec used, video bitrate, frame rate, audio codec, audio bitrate, audio sampler rate, even audio channels. Of course, it should be appreciated that in some embodiments additional information may by provided for each multimedia content. The manager user may subsequently save the multimedia content and associated metadata once the multimedia content has been updated in block 1918 of the method 1900. Once saved, the modified and/or updated metadata associated with the multimedia content is stored in association therewith. While the disclosure has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such an illustration and description is to be considered as exemplary and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only illustrative embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the disclosure are desired to be protected. There are a plurality of advantages of the present disclosure arising from the various features of the systems, apparatuses, and methods described herein. It will be noted that alternative embodiments of the systems and methods of the present disclosure may not include all of the features described yet still benefit from at least some of the advantages of such features. Those of ordinary skill in the art may readily devise their own implementations of the systems, apparatuses, and methods that incorporate one or more of the features of the present invention and fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.